The Thornycroft M or ''Mastiff'' class were a

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

of six British

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s completed for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

during 1914–16 for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

service. They were quite different from the Admiralty-designed ships of the , although based on a basic sketch layout provided by the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...

from which

J I Thornycroft John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm founded by John Isaac Thornycroft in Chiswick in 1866. It moved to Woolston, Southampton, in 1908, merging in 1966 with Vosper & Comp ...

developed their own design. Like the 'standard' Admiralty M class they had three

funnels A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construc ...

, but the centre funnel was thicker in the Thornycroft ships. The midships gun was shipped between the second and third funnels. ''Patriot'' was fitted to carry a

kite balloon A kite balloon is a tethered balloon which is shaped to help make it stable in low and moderate winds and to increase its lift. It typically comprises a streamlined envelope with stabilising features and a harness or yoke connecting it to the main ...

Ships

Two ships were ordered (contracted) on 1 February 1913, two more on 26 February 1915 and the last two on 15 May 1915. * ''Meteor'' – laid down 8 May 1913, launched 24 July 1914, completed 15 September 1914. Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921. * ''Mastiff'' – laid down 10 July 1913, launched 5 September 1914, completed 12 November 1914. Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921. * ''Patrician'' – laid down 3 June 1915, launched 5 June 1916, completed 4 August 1916. Transferred to

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

in September 1920, subsequently scrapped in 1929 at

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de ...

. * ''Patriot'' – laid down 15 July 1915, launched 20 April 1916, completed 27 June 1916. Transferred to

in September 1920, subsequently sold for breaking up in 1929 at Briton Ferry. * ''Rapid'' – laid down 12 August 1915, launched 15 July 1916, completed 19 September 1916. Sold for breaking up 20 April 1927. * ''Ready'' – laid down 2 September 1915, launched 26 August 1916, completed 31 October 1916. Sold for breaking up 13 July 1926. Note Thornycroft also built six other M-class destroyers for the Royal Navy – ''Michael'', ''Milbrook'', ''Minion'' and ''Munster'', all ordered on 20 September 1914, and ''Nepean'' and ''Nereus'', both ordered on 20 November 1914; however these were to the Admiralty 'M' design and are included with the article on that large group of destroyers.

Sources

*''Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893–1981'', Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan *''Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919'', Jane's Publishing. *''The Thornycroft List'', 1981 (unpublished compilation of J.I.Thornycroft records). {{WWI British ships M class destroyer Admiralty Ship classes of the Royal Navy Ships of the Royal Canadian Navy